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9 - Development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2025

Stacey A. Bedwell
Affiliation:
King’s College London
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Summary

The human brain follows a clear and reliable timeline of development. Various stages of development are key to specific functions. Decision-making, due to its complexity, cannot be pinpointed to one age in development or a critical period, it undergoes several key stages through the lifespan. In the prenatal stage, myelination is important for cognitively demanding tasks like decision-making. In the newborn stage, the baby is constantly forming new synapses, increasing connectivity. During childhood most children develop the ability to use logic in decisions. Adolescence is a critical period for synaptic pruning, improving efficiency. The prefrontal cortex is considered fully mature in adulthood, around the age of 25.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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  • Development
  • Stacey A. Bedwell, King’s College London
  • Book: Cognitive Neuroscience of Decision-Making
  • Online publication: 14 November 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009407946.010
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  • Development
  • Stacey A. Bedwell, King’s College London
  • Book: Cognitive Neuroscience of Decision-Making
  • Online publication: 14 November 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009407946.010
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Development
  • Stacey A. Bedwell, King’s College London
  • Book: Cognitive Neuroscience of Decision-Making
  • Online publication: 14 November 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009407946.010
Available formats
×